Workshops

These are past lower cost workshops I’ve held. If you are interested in a particular one you are welcome to let me know. If there is enough interest I will set a date.

For Pregnant Couples: Protecting your New Relationship

You have prepared for the labour and birth but have you prepared for one of the biggest changes of all – the birth of a new couple relationship?

Research by Seattle’s internationally recognized John Gottman shows that 70% of couples experience significant relationship distress when they become parents for the first time! Couples may separate or divorce needlessly, thinking that the problem is within the other partner. The truth is that all relationships change after a baby is born.

This is where Natalie comes in. She is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Mom to 2 young kids so she has been there. Her hope is to use her experience and expertise to help keep new families together, one couple at a time.

Please join her in an exciting and affordable new workshop where you will come away with insight into why relationships change after a baby is born and what you can do to protect yours, now and after the baby comes.

You will learn how to make the transition to parenthood easier on you, your partner and your baby. You will be giving your baby the best chance to grow a healthy brain, right from the start. You will be taking steps that will prevent post-partum depression.

Natalie’s presentations are passionate and full of real life examples. Her presentations are also grounded in theory and the latest research.

Couples will not be expected to share their personal lives in this small group.

Testimonial from recent couples workshop participant:

“Thank you for putting on that workshop, it was really enjoyable and valuable for us. We have been having some good conversations since then and are feeling much more confident about our relationship… I’ll definitely recommend your workshops to others.”

Do you have a baby or young children? Parenting babies and young children can be all- consuming. Finding energy to put into your spousal relationship while parenting young kids is hard. Research shows that 70% of relationships experience significant distress after the birth of a baby, with distress peaking around the time the baby turns 1. But we know that kids whose parents are satisfied in their relationship have advantages such as healthy brain development, good social skills, and positive adult romantic relationships. Spend some time with your partner without the kids and go home loaded with skills to become more bonded. Hear about the latest research in the world of couples with young kids during this half-day workshop.

You will not be expected to share in front of this small group. You will practice skills privately with your partner.

When we are under chronic stress or have experienced a high stress/traumatic event we may experience changes to our nervous system. When that happens we end up responding to stressors more often from our fight/flight/freeze part of our brain (our limbic brain) rather than our rational part (prefrontal cortex).

What this looks like is using using unhelpful ways to cope. We may swing between feelings of anxiety and feelings of depression. We may feel stuck.

Little things that didn’t bother us will now send us through the charts. We may find ourselves easily irritated and angry with our significant other or children. Our spouse may be asking us to get some help around this.

You can restore your system to what it was and make it even more resilient than it was before. Come learn quick and easy skills that you actually want to use. Tailor the skills to your needs.

Your body will thank you and so will the people around you.

Learning and using stress management skills helps us sleep better, do better in our parenting and relationships, and prevent mistakes at work.

You will not be expected to share personal information in this workshop and your privacy will be maintained.

Come alone or with a spouse or friend. This will be a relaxed, small, and informal environment. There is space for a small number of participants so register early to avoid disappointment.

Young Couples: Getting Through Stressful Situations

Are you having difficulty with blow-out arguments or distancing in your romantic relationship? It’s not just you. Young couples are under more stress than ever. Come in and learn why this problem is so pervasive in relationships and what to do about it.

Hear about the latest research in the couples field. Learn to be more in tune with yourself and your partner to better navigate important discussions. Learn how to repair when mistakes are made. Develop skills to increase your bond. Couples will not share about their private lives in the group but will practice skills privately with their partner.

Do you find yourself using time-outs when chaos hits your household when really it’s you that needs to take some time to calm down? Do you know that yelling has been shown to produce some of the same effects on a child’s brain as child abuse?

Parents are under more stress than ever these days. Come learn some techniques to help you keep your stress level down during your child’s misbehavior and learn how to repair when you’ve made a mistake. Learn easy skills to keep your stress level in check throughout your day, whether you are at home, work or in the car. Prevent unnecessary blowups and frustration. You want to keep trying in this area to ensure you and your child develop a secure connection and to give your child the best chance to grow a healthy, flexible brain.

Join me to learn more about this important topic. You will not be expected to share about personal cases in the group. If you would like more in-depth support about your situation, feel free to contact me to learn one-on-one in counselling and be more of the parent you want to be.